Ditch-packer.



J. G. LOGSDON.

DITCH PACKER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13.1916.

Patented NOV. 14, 1916.

O O o. O O O E7 Jade Q Iq9ac%7@ JOSEPH G. LQGSIJON, OF POST FALLS, IDAHO.

BITCH-PACKER.

naoaseo.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Nov. is, rare.

Application filed July 13, 1916. Serial No. 109,193.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrn G. LoosDoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Post Falls, in the county of Kootenai and State of Idaho, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ditoh-Packers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a device for packing and shaping a plowed formed ditch, the device of my invention being utilized either in following relation to the ditch plow or subsequently to the formation of a ditch thereby.

It is well known that great advantages result in having an irrigation ditch absolutely smooth and unbroken by reason of the fact that the incline is sometimes very gentle and therefore the flow through the ditch is oftentimes restricted by uneven places. It is not desirable to have a rapid fiow be cause the purpose of the ditch is to permit the water running therethrough to spread outwardly beyond the walls of the ditch, however, such flow as there is should be unrestricted and constant.

By means of the device of my invention I am not only able to pack the ditch so as to make the walls and bottom smooth, but I am also able to pack the earth tops adjacent the ditch to prevent the walls of the ditch from caving in, the top packer coacting with the ditch packer to maintain the depth of the ditch uniform.

My invention employs a ditch packing body which is slidable along and in the ditch, in combination with a top packer which not only packs the top soil on opposite sides of the ditch but also serves as a gage to limit the packing action of said packing body.

Other features and objects of the invention will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing, and will be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of the device of my lnvention showing the same in an operative position in a ditch. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

As illustrated, l designates an elongated and preferably hollow boat-like body which I may desirably form of metal and which may be provided with stiffened webs 2, suitably spaced along the interior thereof. Said packing body is provided with a bottom wall portion 3 which is shown somewhatthicker than the side wall portions 4;. the bottom portion 3 being subjected to the greatest wear. The side walls 1 terminate in inwardly projecting flanges 5 which not only serve to stiffen the body but which additionally serve as fastening flanges for a top packer, presently to be described. The front end of the ditch packer is upwardlv curved, as indicated at G, to form a prow-like front end and the same is also transversely rounded so as to present a continuously smooth surface to the soil which it engages. A suitable h-itch means, designated as a whole at 6, is conveniently connected with the prow at 7. The rear end 8 of the ditch packer may be open, in this particular form, and I have provided a handle 9 which may be grasped by the operator to lift the pack in making a turn.

1%. top packer is disposed on the ditch packer and the same may comprise transversely disposed boards 10 adapted to be secured by means such as bolts 11, to the flanges 5. The top packer extends laterally on opposite sides of the ditch packer to a considerable extent and also longitudinally thereof a distance in excess of half of the length of said ditch packer. In order to facilitate the top packing operation and prevent accumulations of soil in advance thereof, I preferably round off the front edge of the top packer, as indicated at 12, it being desirable to face this rounded edge with metal, as indicated at 13.

The unpacked portions of the ditch are indicated at 14, the unpacked portion of the top being indicated at 15. Rearwardly of the packer, these portions indicated at 16 and 17 are smoothed and packed so as to be uniorm.

The ditch packer .1 has a depth and general cross-section equal to the cross-section or dimension of the ditch to be formed but it wil be readily understood that in the absence of the top packer, the ditch packer under weight might sink to a too great level. Thus the top packer acts as a gage to prevent the ditch packer from forming or packing certain portions of the bottom of the ditch at a too great depth. Furthermore,

while the width of the ditch packer will correspond to the width of ditch desired, still, in the absence of the top packer these side walls of the ditch might be so loosely packed that they would cave in in following relation to the packer. it is therefore the function of the top packer to pack top portions laterally of the ditch simultaneously with the packing operation of the vertical wall of the ditch so as to prevent these walls from caving in. In use, the operator stands upon the top packer to give the packing device suitable weight in order to keep the device in contact with the surfaces to be packed.

an alternative form, I may additionally make the ditch packer of wood, as indicated at 18, in Fig. at. In this event, I find it desirable to sheath or face the Wood packer 18 with sheet metal 19, in order to take up wear. Otherwise, the modified form shown in Fig. l is in all respects similar to that shown in Fig. 1, the top packer 20 being secured to the ditch packer 18.

It is believed that the utility and advantages of my invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description, and while l. have herein shown and described specific forms of my invention, I do notwish to be limited thereto except for such limitations as the claims may import.

I claim:

1. As a means for packing and shaping plow formed ditches, an elongated packing and shaping body having a cross-section substantially equal to the plowed ditch and adapted to be advanced therealong to pack and shape the same along the bottom and side walls thereof, and a top packer mounted on said body and extending laterally of the latter for sliding and packing engagement along top portions of the ground laterally of the ditch whereby the top portions of the ditch will be packed simultaneously with the vertical walls thereof, substantially as described.

2. As a means for packing and shaping plow formed ditches, an elongated ditch packer shaped to conform to the form of the finished ditch, and a gage packer mounted on said ditch packer for packing the soil adjacent the ditch and limiting the depth of action of said ditch packer, substantially as described.

3. As a means for packing and shaping plow formed ditches, a hollow elongated body having a sloping curved prow and adapted to be advanced along the ditch to be packed and shaped, said hollow body having inwardly projecting flanges, and atop packer secured to said flange and extending laterally of said body to pack the top portions of the soil adjacent the ditch, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereby atlix my signature.

JOSEPH G. LOGSDON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

